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State restoration routes

What your state's own remedy is, who decides it, how long it takes, what it costs, and what it does — and does not — do about the separate federal bar. One row for each jurisdiction that we have checked, with its statute and the day we checked it.
3. Date (today or later)

TEXAS · The state's own restoration route · on Oct 9, 2026

A route exists

In short
Texas ties its own firearm restoration to the federal programme. 37 Tex. Admin. Code § 143.12(a)(2) requires "proof of application under the United States Code, Title 18, Section 925(c), for exemption, relief from disabilities to the Director of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives" together with "copies of all relevant applications and responses thereto". It asks for proof that a federal application was made and answered, not that relief was granted. Paragraph (a)(1) also requires one of three things: "proof of clearance by a previously granted full pardon or a request for such express restoration in a pending application for a full pardon from jurisdiction(s) of the relevant conviction(s) or successful completion of a punishment similar to a term of deferred adjudication community supervision". The Board's form is narrower: it is "for use only by persons who have been previously granted a full pardon". Texas also restores firearm rights "only in extreme and unusual circumstances which prevent the applicant from gaining a livelihood"; the Board's own FAQ says the criteria are "limited to extreme and unusual circumstances, such as for the purpose of employment", so Texas will not restore them for hunting or recreation.
Route
Restoration of Firearm Rights, a clemency application. The rule accepts a granted full pardon, a pending full-pardon application that asks for it, or a completed punishment similar to deferred adjudication (37 TAC § 143.12(a)(1)). The Board's form is for people already granted a full pardon.
Who decides
Board of Pardons and Paroles → the Governor
Waiting period
No fixed period. Conditions: one of the three choices in 37 TAC § 143.12(a)(1) (see Route), and proof of a 925(c) application to ATF with its responses
Fee
Not set by rule; the clemency application publishes no fee
What it restores
State firearm rights: "the right to receive, possess, bear, and transport in commerce a firearm"
Without this route, does the state firearm bar stay?
Yes — a Texas full pardon alone does not restore firearm rights; this separate application exists because of that
Official form
https://www.tdcj.texas.gov/bpp/forms/RFA_App.pdf
Effective
—
Next scheduled change
None scheduled in the sources checked
Statute / rule
37 Tex. Admin. Code § 143.12; Tex. Const. art. IV, § 11 · Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles — form RFA-10 (Rev 12/2025), with 37 TAC § 143.12 printed on page 2
Checked
Verified Sep 19, 2026
What changed →

State law, with its statute and check date. We do not tell you whether your state's remedy cures your federal bar — that turns on your own facts and on federal case law, and it is the question to take to an attorney. Information only, not legal advice.

Sources

  1. 18 U.S.C. 921(a)(20) — official text — checked Oct 8, 2026
  2. 27 CFR 478.11 — definitions — checked Oct 8, 2026
  3. DOJ — 18 U.S.C. 922(g)(4) and mental health — checked Oct 8, 2026
  4. DOJ — Frequently asked questions — checked Oct 8, 2026